so either after licking it or going thru a bad wash with it, you just let it age? and even thats not a guarantee?

Curing the soap is just like beer. Have patience and it will be better after a couple of weeks.

Follow the your recipe exactly- especially in regards to the lye. My experiences with my own cold-process soap is that any "harshness" isn't as bad as a commercial soap. Though if one uses it right away before giving it a chance to cure then there might be a bit of tingling with sensitive skin. For me it's my scalp. The soap will seem slicker too when you try to rinse it away.

My experiences with hot-process soap is that one can use it immediately. But the soap isn't as attractive IMO.

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The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

I have a lot of beeswax. Candles are pretty neat but it seems like such a waste to just burn up what my girls (my bees) have worked so hard to make (1lb beeswax = 8 lbs of honey). I think they would be happy with me if I smelled of beeswax soap when I work in their hives.

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There is only one success: to be able to spend your life in your own way.

If the beeswax is clean I can see it commanding a high price. If you can't find a use for it why not sell the wax?

It is very clean. I can get $25/lb for it. I trade instead - currently fresh eggs, Hawaiian sea salt, cane juice, and lychee. I like to keep it close to home though. Beeswax soap has got me thinking...

I also harvest bee pollen and propolis. I use the pollen as yeast nutient in my meads, and I make propolis tinctures.

Have you ever had a propolis martini? Awesome!

« Last Edit: May 27, 2011, 10:57:47 PM by punatic »

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There is only one success: to be able to spend your life in your own way.

I remember my Grandma making soap in the backyard. (And my Grandfather made beer and wine).I may just have to try this out!Thanks for the great info.

They should've gotten their gigs together. I made a beer soap with Oktoberfest instead of water, added spent grains dried in the oven and crushed further as an exfoliant and a few drops of Bergamont oil for scent. Next time I may use a "Hopshot" for some hop scent.

You have to let the beer completely go flat before adding the lye or the carbonation with the reaction will give you a huge stinky foam bomb. I added the grain at the end of the lye/fat mix when it was thickening up before molding. I use a rectangular silicone mold so the soap pops out easily. it very rewarding to use personally and when it's received as a gift. Just like making beer and wine.

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Steve

"Because beer is food: in cooking, at the table and by the glass. " Lucy Saunders

So there was brief mention above of liquid soap and I am curious about that. I don't like to use bar soap, just a personal distaste as I can't help but think about all the other people (in the abstract anyway) who have used that bar. Does anyone know if the only difference is the potassium hydroxide instead of lye? I rarely use anything other than Dr Bronners. and would love to make my own.

I don't know how liquid soap is made, but you can make your own from bar soap. Grate it with a cheese grater, soak it in some hot water, and it will dissolve. Add as much water as you need for it to work in one of those pump soap dispensers, and Bob's your uncle.